


A Different Offered Choice

by Sheliak



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Fix-It, Gen, fragment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28271934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheliak/pseuds/Sheliak
Summary: In which Madelyne Pryor is faced with a different choice, offered by a very different demon.
Relationships: Madelyne Pryor & Illyana Rasputin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	A Different Offered Choice

“What do you want?” Illyana asked, casually. “Your kid? Revenge? Power, so that no one can treat you like this? Answers?” 

Girl, woman, mother, pilot, demon. “Any fifth option?” 

“I didn’t figure you’d want him back, after the way he’s treated you. Was I wrong?”

“No,” Madelyne said, her voice cold. “No, you weren’t.” 

“Good. I don’t know how I’d do that except by messing with his emotions, and frankly…” Her hand twisted in the air. “That’s something I’m not going to do.” 

“A demon sorcerer has ethics?” 

“Hey, everybody’s got to draw the line somewhere.” Let’s not mention that she didn’t think she could do it. Besides, it was true: even damned as she already was, she didn’t want her friends to hate her like they hated Manuel.

“….And it’s a decision between these things. I can’t have all of them?” 

“Didn’t say that,” Illyana said, lazily. She got up and walked over to the edge of the cliff, then turned around to face Madelyne. “Just wanted you to get it straight in your head, what you want. I’m not a full demon like S’ym- I can’t look into your soul and see what you want. You have to figure that out for yourself, and then I have to do it for you.” 

“You mean you’re going to have trouble with it?” 

“I didn’t say that.” 

“No. But… well. I heard you were having some trouble with your powers. Things coming out…. wrong, or with something nasty added on the side.” 

Illyana turned back towards the precipice, her back to the other woman. Her arms were tight-crossed, and her position tense. After a long moment she spoke again, brash and blunt. “So. You know what you’re going to ask of me?” 

“Not sure, kid.” Madelyne looked out over the land. It really was ugly. But if you looked close… There were bits of green there, plants trying to come out of the wasteland. The kid really was trying. “I want power, but I’m not sure I want what you could give me. I’ve seen the clothes you make—I don’t want to see what that does to a mutant power.” 

“You may not have a choice.” 

“I know.” Madelyne breathed in, out, and considered her options. “Well. I don’t meant to start a fight without knowing who my enemy is, and what his weaknesses are.” 

“Cyke?” 

“No.” Madelyne’s voice was cold, and that shocked her. She had loved him once. So, so much. It should have horrified her, the idea that he could be the enemy she plotted against—but instead she put aside that possibility for later, not sure she wouldn’t reach for it some other time. “I want to know who started this, and why. And then I want to know how I can kill him.” 

“You know it’s a guy, or is that a guess?” 

“A man. Psylocke was able to get that much.” 

“Ah… Do tell.” 

“From Sabretooth, when the X-Men caught him. I got her to tell me… A man, big, tall, skin like cracked ice, black hair, red eyes. Weird sort of cape made of metal—almost made of spikes. Strong. Cold bastard, too. She didn’t get his name.” 

“Heh. Not much to go on, but it’s a start. I’ll be getting back to you about that, when I’ve got something to tell you.”

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't in continuity with [Talk Sideways To Your Ghosts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27169264), but represents an earlier take on the same basic idea—that Madelyne and Illyana's stories would have turned out differently, and perhaps better, if they'd worked together instead of their tragedies playing out separately. 
> 
> I don't think I'll continue this version of the story, but I do like this scene enough to want to post it here.


End file.
